Alumnus serves as youth pastor at The Potter’s House

Waxahachie, TX– November 7, 2011 – Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) alumnus Drew Castillo serves as “The Fire House” youth pastor at The Potter’s House in Dallas, TX. He became the head youth pastor of all four campuses (Fort Worth, Dallas, Allen and Denver, CO) in 2009.

Before working at The Potter’s House, Castillo worked as the youth pastor for five and a half years for the Spanish congregation at First Assembly of God in Waxahachie, TX. SAGU alumna Yolanda Lacey, a youth coordinator at The Potter’s House, asked Castillo to be a guest speaker at a youth event while he was still a SAGU student. He hasn’t left since. “Even though preaching is an important part of my job, relationships are what is most important to me,” he says. Castillo’s philosophy in ministry is to train his students how to be active participants in the church and how to evangelize in their day-to-day lives.

Castillo graduated from SAGU in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in Pastoral Ministries. Two of his favorite professors were Dr. Jeff Magruder and Dr. Hester. After presenting a short sermon in his Preaching Lab course, Magruder stood up and said "You all should watch out for Drew! He doesn’t say much, but when he does, people listen!” Naturally a quiet student, Castillo was encouraged by this moment to preach more confidently. “Hester made his class fun and practical,” says Drew. “He made sure we understood what ministry was and made it very real to us.”

Drew encourages current students to absorb everything they learn while at SAGU and to “wait on their pitch.” Castillo explains that “when you wait on the Lord, the opportunity will come. Everything that the Lord has promised will come to pass”

“I wouldn’t trade my time at SAGU for anything,” says Drew. “It was the best learning experience I’ve had. The people, the professors, chapel and all the life-long relationships I made are invaluable to me."

Castillo is currently preparing for the next Fire House youth conference, titled “Furious.” The event will teach students how to address their current generation and the trying events taking place in the world today. The guest speakers include SAGU alumnus Robert Madu and Drew Castillo’s former youth pastor Steven Cartwright. Other Fire House activities include a mentorship program where church staff mentor over 50 students. Fire House youth are also involved in community outreach such as working with the homeless and at-risk teens in local high schools and middle schools. In March, Fire House will be partnering with Phoenix First Assembly of God with their "7 Days” campaign, a 7 day outreach to various churches in America.

Southwestern Assemblies of God University is a private, Christian university located 30 minutes south of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in Waxahachie, Texas. The University was established in 1927, and now offers more than 60 associate, bachelor’s or master’s degrees on campus or online. More information is available at www.sagu.edu or by calling 1-888-YES-SAGU.